Improvement in axle-nut wrenches



J. S. GIPFORD. Axle-Nut Wrench.

Patented Aug. 6,1878.

VENTGR l ATTORNEYS.

WITNBSSES I N PETER-S, Plloo-IJTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D t:v

'NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. GIFFORD, OF FAIRFIELD, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN AXLE-NUT WRENCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 206,721, dated August6, 1878; application filed Y June 20, 1878.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. GIFFORD, of Fairfield, in the county ofSomerset and State of Maine, have invented a new and ImprovedWagon-Wrench, of which the following is a specication The object of myinvention is to furnish a wrench which may be used to take oft' the nutfrom a wagon or carriage axle, to allow of the removal of the wheel, andto screw the nut on again, without any necessity of handling the nut,thereby avoiding the danger of getting sand in the bearing of the wheelor grease upon the hands ofthe person usingthe wrench.

My invention consists of a wrench which is applied to the nut on theaxle, and clamps the nut firmly in the rim of the wheel, so that as thewheel is turned backward the nut is unscrewed until the wheel can betaken off, when the nut is securely held in the rim, and the wheel andnut may be put on together, and the nut screwed to its place by turningthe wheel forward.

I use two short levers, pivoted crosswise and to a cross-bar. The outerends of these levers are formed as jaws to clasp the nut, and the innerends are each pivoted to a lever formed at one end as a handle foroperating the wrench and at the other end so as to t upon the innerperiphery of the wheel-rim. The jaws of the short levers are placed uponthe nut, and the outer ends or handles of the long levers are pressedtoward each other until the opposite ends bear against the rim, when thefurther movement of the handles closes the crosslevers until the nut isclamped firmly. The handles are then kept from spreading by a linkslipped over them, and the wheel and nut may then turn together.

In the drawing, Figure l is a side view of my wrench clamped to a wheel,and partially in section. Fig. 2 is a view at the opposite side, andFig. 3 is an end view of the clamping-jaws.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

a a are levers, pivoted crosswise at b to a cross-bar or carrier, c.This carrier is formed of a plate at each side of the levers a a', andthe plates are connected at their ends by a rivet and stud, d, so as toleave a space between the plates for the passage of the crosslevers a aand the operating-levers c e.

The outer ends of the levers a a are formed as jaws ff', adapted toclasp a nut between them, and at the opposite ends the levers a a arepivoted to the operating-levers e e' by pins or screws g g passingthrough elongated slots in e and e' and secured by nuts c' 'i'. Theremay be additional holes in the levers a a', to allow for adjustment of aa by changingthe pins g g.

The operating-levers c c are made as ilat bars, with the ends k kflattened, so as to take a broad bearing upon the inner periphery ot'the wheel-rim, (shown by dotted lines in the drawing,) and havingshoulders m m to take against the edge ot' the rim. The levers c c carrythe cross-levers a a in such a position that the jaws ff' are between 7ck'. The opposite ends of thelevers e c are extended to form handles foroperating the wrench, and the outer edges of the handles are serrated atu and h is a holdin g-link, slidingloosely upon the levers c c', havingone end pointed at the inside, as at o, to mesh with the serrations n,and at the opposite end carrying a cam-stud, p, with a handle, q, sothat the link h may be clamped iirml y to the handles to prevent themspreading after a nut is clamped.

I have shown in the drawing by dotted lines a hub, t, with a riln, r,and nut s, and my improved wrcnch cramped thereto. To apply the wrench,the jaws fj" and ends k 7; ofthe operating-levers are inserted withinthe rim r, and the levers e e pressed toward each other to cause thejaws j' f to take upon the nut s. The handles of the levers e c are thenforced inward, and as the j awsf f cannot close further, as they bearupon the nut s, the screws g g become fulcrums for levers c c', and theends L k are spread until they bear upon the inside of the rim r, whenfurther pressure upon the handles clamps the nut and rim firmlyt'ogether. The link h is then forced down upon the handles and the cam pturned by its handle q to clamp the levers c c firmly in position. Thewheel may now be turned backward, and the nut being clamped to the rim,it is unscrewed from the axle, and remains in the same position when thewheel is taken olf. The Wheel may be put on and nut screwed to its placeby turning the wheel forward.

My Wrench is easily operated, not lisible to be broken, and the nut ismore readily and quickly removed than it can be with ordinary Wrenches,as the Wheel has great leverage in unscrewing the nut; and there is nodanger of getting dirt into the nut and upon thejournal and bearing. Theclampingjaws adapt; themselves to the position of the nut in case it isnot central of the rim, so that it will be firmly held in the properposition when the Wheel is off the axle.

